Film Noir: Crime and the Ordinary Man (with Foster Hirsch)

Film noir didn't emerge from postwar prosperity—it was born during the war itself, carrying the anxiety of a culture already in dislocation. Andy and film historian and Professor of Film at Brooklyn College Foster Hirsch move chronologically through ten essential noirs, tracing how an elastic, style-driven cycle turned ordinary middle-class characters into criminals and made desire, bad luck, and the past feel like inescapable traps.Listeners will come away with a practical framework for what actually defines noir—crime at the center, moral complicity in the audience, and the ever-present gap between the law-abiding citizen and the criminal whirlpool—along with a clear sense of how the style evolved from German expressionist shadow to Cold War paranoia to the operatic self-destruction that closed out the classic cycle in 1958.Essential films include Double Indemnity, Scarlet Street, Out of the Past, Kiss Me Deadly, and Touch of Evil.Members get the full ten-film arc, including Detour, In a Lonely Place, Sudden Fear, The Steel Trap, and Sweet Smell of Success—with Foster naming both Sudden Fear and The Steel Trap as personal all-time favorites.This episode is built for deep listening. Feel free to pause, return, and follow the threads over time—like a great book you can pick up again.🎬 Deep Dive👤 Meet Foster Hirsch: Professor of Film at Brooklyn College, film historian & authorWebsite | The Victoria Wilson–Foster Hirsch Podcast | Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties🎥 Full Discussion on YouTube🍿 Essential Films:Double Indemnity (1944) — Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdScarlet Street (1945) — Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdOut of the Past (1947) — Apple TV | Amazon | LetterboxdKiss Me Deadly (1955) — Amazon | LetterboxdTouch of Evil (1958) — Apple TV | Amazon | Letterboxd📋 View Our Full List on Letterboxd🎞️ More to Explore: Foster Hirsch’s Recommended FilmsHow to Listen: Long-form, multi-film conversations.Best enjoyed in chapters—jump in by topic rather than starting at episode one.Support The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next ReelSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: AndyShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Audible